Helmet with stage blood indicator to simulate head injury

ABSTRACT

A helmet that both protects the user against injury during a fight and indicates through the release of stage blood that a blow to the head has been struck sufficient to cause a concussion or bloody head injury if the helmet were not present. The helmet includes an inner helmet and outer helmet. The inner helmet is similar in construction to helmets presently used in sports such as football, hockey and bicycling preferably with an absorbent layer next to the user&#39;s head, an intermediate soft protective layer and a hard plastic outer layer. On top of the inner helmet, an outer helmet is provided with a reservoir or multiple packets of stage blood. For added protection, a visor and neck protector are preferably attached to the helmet.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/773,592 filed Feb. 21, 2013, entitled “Helmet With Stage Blood Indicator To Simulate Head Injury”, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/602,045 filed Feb. 22, 2012, both prior application are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to martial arts accessories, more specifically a helmet which releases stage blood when a severe blow is made to a fighter's head.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One of the purposes of martial arts, such as kung-fit, karate, judo, stick-fighting and mixed martial arts, is to teach self-defense skills. If a person is attacked, for example, with a knife, stick, gun or other hand held weapon used in traditional or medieval combat fights and exhibitions, it is helpful to have martial arts skills to disarm and subdue the attacker. Because a person may need to react quickly and instinctively in an actual attack, it is valuable for the martial arts training to closely simulate the conditions of an actual attack. The more real the simulation is, the less likely the martial arts participant will freeze up or make an ineffective defense when an actual attack occurs.

One of the problems with simulating an actual attack during martial arts training or in an actual martial arts event or competition is that the participant can get badly hurt if they freeze up or make an ineffective defense. Ideally, the martial arts participant will be provided with equipment that can protect them against injury during martial arts training, competition and/or event, even if that martial arts training closely simulates an actual attack.

One of the parts of the body that is most vulnerable to serious injury during an actual attack is the head. For example, if the head is struck firmly with a hard stick, the result can be a bloody head injury and/or concussion. It would thus be desirable to have equipment to protect the head during martial arts training or in an actual martial arts event or competition, while safely demonstrating when a blow is received that would cause serious injury to an unprotected head. By demonstrating when a severe blow is taken to the head, the martial arts participant can learn how to do a better job of protecting the head from serious injury and, for example, in an event or competition, an audience and judges can see when such an attack would cause serious enough injury to the head where blood would be emitted due to the force or impact of the blow from a weapon.

Helmets, of course, are a well-known means of protecting the head in numerous sports such as football, hockey, bicycling, baseball, skiing and lacrosse. In several prior patents and published applications, indicators are provided to demonstrate when a helmet or suit has been damaged by a blow. These prior patents and published applications include Apray's U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0056081 (impact sensor layer can sense the severity of an impact and store that sensed impact in memory or provide an internal visual indication of impact), Wang's WIPO Publication No. 2009/025491 (martial arts suit with a plurality of electronic strike detectors), Rigel's U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,718 (colored liquid from capillary tube released when helmet is irreparably damaged), Rush's U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,226 (cracks on outside of helmet shell indicates that the helmet is no longer safe to use) and Beck's U.S. Pat. No. 7,509,835 (shock detector indicates that helmet is no longer safe to use). Nonetheless, while these prior art helmets and suits indicate when the helmet or suit has been damaged, none of these patents address the problem of demonstrating to a martial arts participant, an audience and/or judges who might viewing such an event or competition, when a blow is struck to the head to the point of causing a concussion or a bloody head injury if the head were unprotected. By an audience not being able to see this result, it would lessen their ability to make a determination as to who might have an advantage in a competition if, for example, there was a scoring system in place. A knock-out in a boxing match determines that a fighter who has been knocked-out is no longer able to continue and therefore has lost the fight. A similar indication could be used, for example, as a means for a judge to determine the outcome of a fight by way of a “scoring system” which gives measure to such a result. Specifically, such a result could be equated to a knock-out which would determine the victor in a competition or exhibition.

Other patents and published applications disclose that reservoirs of stage blood can be inserted into costumes for use in pretending that a bloody injury has occurred. These other patents and published applications include Geller's U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,475 and Cho's PCT Published Application No. WO 2009/005224. The problem with these costumes is that they do not indicate the amount of real harm that must be inflicted before a bloody injury is caused in a real fight. In movies, the pretend fights are usually carefully choreographed before they are filmed to give the appearance of a real fight without actually being a real fight. Sometimes, blood is released as the result of a pretend blow when no real blow has occurred. For example, in Cho's PCT application, an electronic controller is used to determine the release of stage blood. How much blood is released through use of this electronic controller does not appear to have correspondence to the severity of a blow being struck.

What is needed in martial arts and martial arts competitions/exhibitions is a helmet that both protects the user's head and provides a graphic indicator of how much injury a blow to the head would cause if the head were unprotected.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a helmet that both protects the user against injury during a fight and indicates through the release of stage blood that a blow to the head has been struck sufficient to cause a concussion or bloody head injury if the helmet were not present. In one preferred embodiment, the helmet includes an inner helmet and outer helmet. The inner helmet is similar in construction to helmets presently used in sports such as football, hockey and bicycling with an absorbent layer next to the user's head, an intermediate soft protective layer (e.g., Styrofoam) and a hard plastic outer layer. Most of the protection against head injury is provided by the inner helmet. On top of the inner helmet, an outer helmet is provided preferably consisting of plastic shells sandwiching a reservoir of stage blood. For added protection, a visor and neck protector are preferably attached to the helmet.

When a blow is struck against the outer shell of the outer helmet by, for example, a stick, an appropriate amount of injury is demonstrated by the outer helmet. For example, if the blow is a light or glancing blow that would not cause noticeable injury to an unprotected head, the outer helmet will not show any appreciable damage. For an intermediate blow, one or more cracks will appear in the outer shell of the outer helmet, but no stage blood will be released. For a severe blow that will likely result in concussion or bloody head injury to an unprotected head, the outer shell of the outer helmet will crack open to push into a blood source contained in a reservoir in the outer helmet shell, sufficiently to allow stage blood to be released from the outer helmet. Through the flowing stage blood, it will be apparent to the helmet user, all spectators and judges that a blow has been struck that would have resulted in a serious injury to an unprotected head.

To reduce expense, the outer helmet is preferably detachable from the inner helmet. After a severe, stage blood causing blow has been struck to the outer helmet, the damaged outer helmet can be separated from the inner helmet and removed. A new outer helmet can then be attached over the inner helmet to allow continued use of the inner helmet.

In a second preferred embodiment, the outer shell of the outer helmet is made from a soft, durable polymer, such as silicon or elastomer, with multiple stage blood packets inserted underneath the surface of the outer shell. In this second embodiment, cracks may be pre-formed in the soft outer shell so that, upon impact, stage blood can ooze or flow out through the pre-formed cracks when one or more stage blood packets rupture. By detaching the soft outer shell, the ruptured stage blood packet(s) can be replaced and, absent any damage to the soft outer shell itself, the helmet will be ready for reuse after the soft outer shell is re-attached.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a preferred helmet of the present invention in undamaged form.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the helmet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows the helmet of FIG. 1 receiving an intermediate blow sufficient to crack the outer helmet but not to release stage blood.

FIG. 4 shows the helmet of FIG. 1 receiving a severe blow sufficient to both crack the outer helmet and release stage blood.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the severe blow of FIG. 4 at the moment of impact.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the severe blow of FIG. 4 after stage blood has seeped through cracks in the outer shell.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the FIG. 6 helmet with stage blood seeping through cracks in the outer shell.

FIG. 8 shows a rear view of the helmet of the present invention with a neck protector added.

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of an second preferred helmet of the present invention in undamaged form.

FIG. 10 shows a side view of the second preferred helmet of FIG. 9 with an extended face shield.

FIG. 11 shows a side, cut-away view of the second preferred helmet of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of a stage blood packet embedded in the second preferred helmet of FIG. 9

FIG. 13 shows a side view of the second preferred helmet before receiving a severe blow.

FIG. 14 shows a side, cut-away view of the second preferred helmet after receiving a severe blow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows of a helmet 10 of the present invention in new, undamaged condition. The helmet 10 is especially designed for use in martial arts, including fighting with sticks 12, but can also be used in other contact sports such as hockey, football and lacrosse. First and foremost, the helmet 10 is designed to protect the user's head 16 from injury, such as injury caused by being hit by a stick 12. A face shield 14 is preferably attached to the helmet to additionally protect the user's face from injury. The face shield 14 may be made from a clear, hard plastic, such as acrylic, poly vinyl chloride (PVC) or polypropylene.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of the helmet 10 of FIG. 1. The helmet 10 preferably has an inner helmet 20 and an outer helmet 30. The inner helmet 20 can be similar in construction to helmets used in sports such as football, hockey, lacrosse and bicycling. The inner helmet 20 is preferably constructed of an absorbent layer 22, a soft padding layer 24 and a hard outer layer 26.

The absorbent layer 22 is composed, for example, of absorbent foam material, natural fabric or synthetic fabric. The purpose of this absorbent layer 22 is to wick sweat away from the user's head during sports activity. Outside the absorbent layer 22 is a soft padding layer 24 to cushion the user's head against the shock of any blow struck to the helmet 10. The soft padding layer 24 is preferably constructed of a soft plastic, such as Styrofoam, but may also be constructed of natural or synthetic fabrics. A hard outer layer 26 is preferably formed at the exterior of the inner helmet 20. The hard outer layer 26 is preferably made from a hard, rigid plastic, such as acrylic, poly vinyl chloride, polypropylene, polycarbonate or glass/fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP/CFRP). The thickness of this hard outer layer may vary, but is typically in the range of 3 to 4 millimeters. The purpose of the hard outer layer 26 is to prevent any blows from contacting the user's head. In an alternative embodiment, the outer helmet 30 can be used as a hard outer layer to thereby dispense with the need to incorporate a hard outer layer 26 into the inner helmet 20.

The outer helmet 30 preferably consists of a hard inner shell 32, a hard outer shell 34 and a fluid holding reservoir 36 sandwiched between the two shells. The primary purpose of the outer helmet is to provide an indication of the severity of any blow struck to the helmet 10. The hard inner 32 and outer 34 shells are preferably formed of a hard plastic, such as acrylic, poly vinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) or polypropylene. To achieve the objectives of this preferred embodiment, it is particularly important to properly select the material and thickness of the material for the outer shell 34. The material and thickness should be chosen so that a light or glancing blow to the helmet 10 does not result in any appreciable damage to the outer shell 34 in the same way it would not result in any appreciable damage to an unprotected user's head 16. For an intermediate blow, the outer shell 34 should show some cracking (see, FIG. 3), but not so much cracking as to result in the release of fluid from the reservoir 36. Finally, a severe blow to the outer shell 34, which would cause a concussion or a serious bleeding head injury to the user if the user were not wearing the helmet 10, should result in sufficient cracking to the outer shell 34 as to result in the release of fluid 40 from the reservoir 36 (see FIGS. 4 and 6). To achieve these objectives, the thickness of the outer shell 34 will depend upon the material used. In their experiments, the inventors have found that polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) with a thickness between 0.03 and 0.10 inches, preferably around 0.06 inches, may be used for the outer shell 34 to achieve desired results. As those of skill in the art will recognize, other plastics and appropriate thicknesses may be used for the outer shell 34 to achieve the desired results. Since the inner shell 32 does not need to serve this indicator purpose, it can be made thicker than the outer shell 34 to better provide protection to the user.

Between the inner shell 32 and outer shell 34, there is a fluid holding reservoir 36. In one embodiment, this reservoir can be a bladder which would not require tight sealing between the inner shell 32 and outer shell 34. In an alternative embodiment, there is no bladder for the reservoir 36, in which case there should be a leak proof fit between the inner shell 32 and outer shell 34. In this alternative embodiment, a hole (not shown) may be placed in either the inner shell 32 or outer shell 34 after they are formed together for use in filling the reservoir 36 with fluid. The hole should then be sealed after the reservoir 36 is filled with fluid 40 so that fluid will not leak out of the outer helmet 30 before a blow is struck. To help preserve the structural integrity of the outer helmet 30, baffles 38 (FIG. 2) may be built into the reservoir 36 to keep the inner shell 32 and outer shell 34 spaced apart.

The fluid 40 (see, FIGS. 4 and 6) in reservoir 36 is preferably a red colored liquid, such as stage blood. As the fluid is released from the outer helmet 30 after a severe blow (see, FIGS. 4 and 6), use of stage blood will effectively simulate a bloody head wound. If the helmet 10 of the present invention is used in a martial arts competition, the appearance of stage blood after a blow to the helmet 10 may result in the competition being ended. As those of skill in the art will recognize, other types and fluid colors can also be used. To increase the realism of a competition, the outer shell 34 should preferably be colored differently than the fluid 40 so that the fluid can be easily seen when it is released. For example, if stage blood is used for the fluid 40, the outer shell 34 could be colored white or brown. Coloring of the outer shell 34 can be accomplished by, for example, tinting or spray painting the plastic used in the outer shell 34.

Turning now to FIG. 3, an intermediate blow to helmet 10 is shown from stick 12 causing cracks 18 to form in the outer shell 43 of the outer helmet 30. When the helmet 10 receives merely a light or glancing blow, the outer shell 43 will be strong enough to protect the helmet from any noticeable injury. Similarly, such a light or glancing blow to a person's unprotected head would also result in no noticeable injury apart from perhaps a scratch or rash.

When a person's unprotected head is struck with an intermediate blow, there will be some level of damage, such as a temporary stinging pain followed by a bruise. In such case, the person may be able to avoid any external bleeding. This level of intermediate damage is simulated in the helmet 10 of the present invention by the cracking shown in FIG. 3. While this cracking is evidence of damage, it is not so deep or extensive as to result in the release of stage blood 40 from the helmet 10.

FIG. 4 shows the results of a severe blow to the helmet 10. This corresponds to a blow that would create a concussion or bloody head injury if it were made to an unprotected head 16. As shown in FIGS. 4-6, this severe blow creates cracks 18 in the outer shell 43 of the outer helmet 30 that are either so deep or extensive as to result in the release of fluid 40, such as stage blood. As shown in FIG. 7, after such a severe blow is struck, the fluid 40 will continue to flow out of the reservoir 36 and through the cracks 18 in the outer shell 34 even after the blow has ended.

To avoid the need to replace the entire helmet 10 once a severe blow is struck, the helmet 10 can be constructed so that the outer helmet 30 is detachable from the inner helmet 20. In that way, after the outer helmet 30 is severely damaged to the extent fluid 40 is released, the outer helmet 30 can be removed and replaced with a new outer helmet 30. In this way, an undamaged inner helmet 20 can continue to be used and need not be replaced. To allow this detachability, a mild adhesive can be used to attach the inner shell 32 of the outer helmet 30 where it meets the hard outer layer 26 of the inner helmet 20. This mild adhesive is preferably strong enough to hold the helmet 10 together under normal conditions, but weak enough that the outer helmet 30 can be manually pulled off the inner helmet 20. Alternatively, pegs (not shown) can be formed in the inner shell 32 of the outer helmet 30 which fit into matching holes (not shown) in the hard outer layer 26 of the inner helmet 20, or vice versa. Clips (not shown) can also be used to snap the outer 30 and inner 20 helmets together.

Turning now to FIG. 8, a rear neck guard 50 is attached to the helmet 10 of the present invention to protect the back of the user's neck from blows. If desired, this rear neck guard 50 can be connected to the helmet fluid reservoir 36 to provide visual evidence that a severe blow has been struck. Also, if desired, this rear neck guard can be extended to protect the front of the neck.

FIGS. 9-11 show a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. Like the first preferred embodiment, the helmet 60 in this second preferred embodiment has an inner helmet 70 and an outer helmet 80 (FIG. 11). As before, the inner helmet 70 can be similar in construction to helmets used in sports such as football, hockey, lacrosse and bicycling. In this case, the inner helmet consists of a soft padding layer 74 and a hard outer layer 72. The hard outer layer 72 is preferably made from a hard, rigid plastic, such as acrylic, poly vinyl chloride, polypropylene, polycarbonate or glass/fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP/CFRP). The thickness of this hard outer layer may vary, but is typically in the range of 3 to 4 millimeters. If a desired, an absorbent layer (not shown) may also be added under the soft padding layer 74 to wick sweat away from the user's head. To protect the user's face, the helmet 60 preferably includes a face shield 62 (FIG. 9). This face shield 62 is preferably made from a clear, hard plastic, such as a clear acrylic. As shown in FIG. 10, a larger face shield 66 may also be used to protect both the user's face and neck. This shield may alternatively be composed of softer plastic fashioned in a way to allow for some impact to the face, but not enough impact to account for any permanent damage.

Unlike the inner helmet 70, the outer helmet 80 in this second preferred embodiment differs significantly from the outer helmet 30 in the first preferred embodiment. In this second embodiment, the outer helmet 80 consists of a single detachable layer. Moreover, instead of being made of hard, rigid materials, the outer helmet 80 is this embodiment is preferably made from a soft, durable polymer such as silicon, elastomer or polypropylene having a thickness in the range of 1.0 to 7.0 millimeters, preferably around 3.0 millimeters. On the Shore Hardness Scale, the soft, durable polymer used for the outer helmet 80 preferably has a rating around A60. Through screws 84 (FIG. 9) and 88 (FIG. 10), the outer helmet 80 can easily be detached from inner helmet 70 and later reattached.

Also, unlike the first preferred embodiment, cracks 82 are preferably pre-formed in the outer helmet 80 of this second preferred embodiment. These cracks 82 allow a blow to be struck to the soft outer helmet 80 and for stage blood to be released from the soft outer helmet 80 without the soft outer helmet 80 being damaged. As shown in FIGS. 11-12, an additional difference for the second preferred embodiment is the use of multiple polymeric packets 90 with sealed fluid, such as stage blood, positioned underneath an outer layer 81 of the outer helmet 80. Suitable packets 90 for use in this second preferred embodiment are plastic encapsulated, 4 cubic centimeter (cc) blood gel packs manufactured by the Graftobian Makeup Company. These blood gel packs can be purchased through Graftobian's website: www.graftobian.com. The stage blood in the 4 cc Graftobian gel packs is made from glycerin, silica, water and red dye. The polymer enclosure for the 4 cc Graftobian gel packs is made from propylene glycol, diazolidinyl, urea, methylparaben and propylparaben. While it is preferred that the packets 90 contain stage blood, those of skill in the art will recognize that the packets could also contain other types of fluid. Through use of baffles 86 in the soft outer helmet 80, pockets 94 can be formed in the soft outer helmet 80 to hold the stage blood packets 90. The stage blood packets 90 are preferably dispersed throughout the sides, top, front and back of the soft outer helmet 80. It is also of note that blood gel packets 90 of various sizes could also be manufactured and used.

FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate how the second preferred helmet 60 can be used in a martial arts competition. FIG. 13 illustrates the helmet 60 before a blow is struck. The helmet 60 is in its standard form with no appearance of blood. When a blow is struck to the helmet which would cause a concussion or serious head injury as shown in FIG. 14, the fluid packet 90 will rupture in a way that releases fluid 92, such as stage blood, through the pre-formed cracks 82 in the soft outer helmet 80 so that the stage blood will be seen on the outside of the helmet 60 by spectators. By contrast, if the blow is a glancing blow that would not cause injury to a person's head in a real fight, the stage blood packet 90 will remain intact with no stage blood being released.

Even after receiving repeated heavy blows that rupture multiple stage blood packets 90, the second preferred helmet 60 of the present invention can be easily reconstructed between fights and then reused for further competition. To reconstruct the second preferred helmet, the detachable soft outer helmet 80 is first removed by unscrewing attachment screws 84, 88 and pulling the soft outer helmet 80 off of the hard inner helmet 70. The ruptured stage blood packets 90 are then taken out of their respective pockets 94 and discarded. The inner and outer helmets 70, 80 are cleaned by rinsing off the stage blood. New stage blood packets 90 are inserted into the empty pockets 94 and, finally, the reconstructed soft outer helmet 80 is screwed back onto the hard inner helmet 70. Assuming there has been no damage to the soft, durable outer helmet 80, the reconstructed helmet 60 will be as good as new and ready to use for a new competition.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific preferred embodiments and methods. It will, however, be evident to those of skill in the art that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. For example, while the use of a single reservoir has been described for the first preferred embodiment, one could instead use multiple stage blood packets in that embodiment instead. In that way, a severe blow which cracks the hard outer shell in the first preferred embodiment will only damage discrete, easily replaceable stage blood packets rather than the reservoir as a whole. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative, rather than restrictive sense; the invention being limited only by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A helmet capable of simulating the extent of injury a blow would cause to an unprotected head comprising: an inner helmet; a detachable outer helmet fitting over said inner helmet, said outer helmet including multiple polymeric packets containing sealed fluid positioned beneath a polymeric outer layer; wherein when a blow is stuck to said polymeric outer layer of said outer helmet that would cause an injury to an unprotected head, one or more of said sealed packets beneath said polymeric outer layer will rupture and release fluid through said polymeric outer layer.
 2. The helmet of claim 1 wherein said fluid is stage blood.
 3. The helmet of claim 1 wherein cracks are pre-formed in said polymeric outer layer to allow fluid to seep through said polymeric outer layer cracks when a fluid packet is ruptured.
 4. The helmet of claim 1 wherein said polymeric packets are held in pockets formed in said outer helmet underneath the outer helmet's outer layer.
 5. The helmet of claim 1 wherein said polymeric pockets are located on the sides, top, front and back of said outer helmet.
 6. The helmet of claim 1 wherein said outer helmet is formed from a soft, durable polymer.
 7. The helmet of claim 6 wherein said soft, durable polymer is selected from the group of silicon, elastomer and polypropylene.
 8. The helmet of claim 6 wherein said soft, durable polymer has a hardness rating on the Shore Hardness Scale of approximately A60.
 9. The helmet of claim 2 wherein said polymeric packets each have approximately 4 cubic centimeters of stage blood.
 10. The helmet of claim 1 wherein said polymeric outer layer of said outer helmet is formed from a hard, rigid plastic that cracks when struck with a blow that would cause injury to an unprotected head.
 11. The helmet of claim 10 wherein said hard, rigid plastic is polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) having a thickness between 0.03 and 0.10 inches.
 12. The helmet of claim 1 wherein said detachable outer helmet is attached to said inner helmet with screws.
 13. A helmet capable of simulating the extent of injury a blow would cause to an unprotected head comprising: an inner helmet; a detachable outer helmet formed from a soft, durable polymer fitting over said inner helmet, said outer helmet including multiple polymeric packets containing sealed fluid positioned in pockets beneath an outer layer and a plurality of pre-formed cracks in said outer layer; wherein when a blow is stuck to said outer layer of said outer helmet that would cause an injury to an unprotected head, one or more of said sealed packets beneath said outer layer will rupture and release fluid through said pre-formed cracks.
 14. The helmet of claim 13 wherein said fluid is stage blood and said packets contain approximately 4 cubic centimeters of such stage blood.
 15. A helmet capable of simulating the extent of injury a blow would cause to an unprotected head comprising: an inner helmet; an outer helmet fitting over said inner helmet having a fluid reservoir interposed between said inner helmet and an outer shell; said outer shell being made from polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) having a thickness between 0.03 and 0.10 inches such that, when a blow is struck to said helmet that would cause a bloody injury to an unprotected head, said outer shell will crack to the point where fluid will be released from said reservoir and through said outer shell.
 16. A method of staging a martial arts competition that allows blows to be struck to a participant's head where head injury can be simulated without actually injuring the participant's head comprising the steps of: selecting a helmet capable of simulating the extent of injury a blow would cause to an unprotected head comprising an inner helmet, a detachable outer helmet fitting over said inner helmet, said outer helmet including multiple polymeric packets containing sealed fluid positioned beneath a polymeric outer layer, wherein when a blow is stuck to said polymeric outer layer of said outer helmet that would cause an injury to an unprotected head, one or more of said sealed packets beneath said polymeric outer layer will rupture and release fluid through said polymeric outer layer; placing said helmet on the head of a martial arts competition participant; and, allowing blows to be struck to the head of the martial arts competition participant until fluid is released from said helmet.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein said fluid is stage blood.
 18. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of: after said martial art competition is completed, detaching said outer helmet from said inner helmet; removing any ruptured polymeric packets; cleaning fluid from said helmet; placing new polymeric packets in the locations where said ruptured polymeric packets were removed; and, re-attaching said outer helmet onto said inner helmet so that said helmet can be used again for a new martial arts competition. 